17.08.1995

Bigots rally for khilafah

SUNDAY’S RALLY for Islam in London was organised by one of the most reactionary groups ever to have come out of the Middle East.

Hisb Ut Tahrir was founded in 1953 by the late Sheikh Al Nabahani of East Jerusalem and is directing its recruitment mainly at Asian youth, particularly those at college.

Its ideology is based on the creation of a global khilafah, an Islamic state in which the Muslim community is led by a king who rules by the law of Islam. The khilafah will where necessary be established by jihad (holy war). They are opposed to democracy, freedom, homosexuality and Israel - to such an extent that members have denied that the Holocaust took place.

Most British Muslims think the group are just troublemakers that damage the name of Islam. Ahtisham Ali, president of Young Muslims UK said “these people talk about Islam conquering the world, but they offer no practical solutions. A lot of young people are just attracted by their aggression.”

There is a lot of anger in the Muslim community caused by poverty and racial discrimination. The young need practical secular solutions to combat the poison of the worst fundamentalist groups.

Arthur Lawrence